College Softball: Rock Valley vaults into national semifinals

Friday

May 16, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Rockford Register Star

The Rock Valley College softball team got off to a solid start on the first day of the NJCAA Division III national tournament, winning both games it played, including a battle with the defending champions.

RVC (40-9), seeded third in its third appearance at nationals, hung on for an 8-7 victory over the sixth seeds from Rochester (Minnesota), playing on their home field, to open the tourney. Then the Golden Eagles went out and put up a 2-0 win over second-seeded (and defending champs) Herkimer County (New York). Amanda Blankenship and Callina Rockey each got wins on the mound.

Last year RVC won its first game and then lost out. They were determined not to let that happen again.

“This was the big one for us; this was the day we needed to get it going right away,” RVC coach Darin Monroe said in a telephone interview. “And that second one, that was the hump game, and we got it.”

Today the Golden Eagles will take on the No. 1 seeds in the tournament, Brookdale (New Jersey), and a win would vault them into the finals of the double-elimination bracket. The championship game, as well as the place games, will take be Saturday.